An undocumented immigrant from Guatemala has been charged with sexually assaulting a 5-year-old girl he was looking after in Long Island, New York, according to federal authorities. Carlos Aguilar Reynoso faces multiple charges including predatory sexual assault, sexual abuse, and resisting arrest, as stated by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).
Initially, he had only been charged with child endangerment. However, local law enforcement reached out to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to detain him while they gathered more evidence to strengthen their case.
Reynoso, 27, was babysitting the girl as a favor to her mother. When she returned home from work on February 1, she found her daughter injured and bleeding, prompting a trip to the hospital.
DHS Acting Assistant Secretary Lauren Biss remarked, “While local law enforcement processed the DNA evidence and built a case, we contacted ICE to arrest this pedophile and prevent him from being released into our communities to prey on more innocent children.” She added that on March 16, ICE transferred him to local authorities to face justice for his actions.
Reports indicate that ICE detained Reynoso on February 2 as he was leaving a police station after being issued a ticket for child endangerment charges.
He was officially given a deportation order by a federal immigration judge on the same day he was handed over to local authorities on March 16. While officials are uncertain about when he entered the U.S. illegally, DHS highlighted that many safe cities regularly collaborate with ICE.
